The Xbox Game Pass is the best €10 that an MMO fan can invest right now

Anyone with an extra €10 can invest it in the Xbox Game Pass – at least if they play on PC or Xbox. Because starting now, some top multiplayer titles are on offer that are worth it for every MMO fan.

What games do I get? Microsoft and Bethesda have jointly added 20 new games to the Game Pass. Among these are titles from the popular franchises of Dishonored, DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, and Fallout.

Four titles are particularly interesting for MMO fans and multiplayer players, as you can play them together with friends in co-op or against other players:

  • Fallout 76 is a survival game set in the Fallout universe, where you explore the wasteland of Appalachia in West Virginia with other players on a server.
  • DOOM Eternal offers the cult shooter series an interesting multiplayer, where a Doom Slayer faces off against two demons.
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a spin-off from the popular series, where you fight against Nazis together with a friend.
  • The Elder Scrolls Online is the MMORPG for the popular TES series, where you can travel through the various regions of the beloved games with your hero.

At the colleagues at GamePro, you’ll find a list of all the new games that have been added to the Game Pass.

How much does the Game Pass cost? Depending on which platforms you want to play on, you’ll pay between €9.99 and €12.99 monthly. There are:

  • the Game Pass for PC for €9.99 per month
  • the Game Pass for Xbox for €9.99 per month
  • the Game Pass Ultimate for €12.99 per month

You can find all three offers on the Microsoft website. All three versions of the Game Pass include the mentioned games – except for ESO, which is currently missing in the Game Pass for PC.

In the Game Pass Ultimate, you also have the advantage of being able to play on both platforms and through the cloud on Android devices. Additionally, the Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Gold and EA Play with even more games.

Get the Xbox Game Pass at Microsoft here*

Microsoft buys Bethesda and gamers benefit

Why Fallout 76 is worth it: Fallout 76 has developed well after a rough start and has become a really good game in 2021. Many of the initial problems like the unpopular PvP or performance issues have since been fixed.

You will receive regular updates in the game that bring new content or advance the story. Currently, you are in the “Steel Dawn,” where you meet the legendary Steel Brotherhood and learn how they became such an important faction in Fallout. In addition, through “One Wasteland,” the world adapts to the players – so you can still achieve something even when playing with strong friends.

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The trailer for the new update Steel Dawn.

Why DOOM Eternal is worth it: DOOM Eternal is one of the best shooters of 2020 and in addition to the solo campaign, offers a multiplayer mode. There, you play asymmetrically in 1 vs. 2. A fully equipped Doom Slayer must defeat two player-controlled demons and their minions at once. You can read more about it in our special: DOOM Eternal has a multiplayer like never before in a shooter.

Why Wolfenstein: Youngblood is worth it: The shooter primarily targets fans of the series, but is also worthwhile for new players. You play as Jess and Soph, the two daughters of the legendary hero BJ Blazkowicz, and must search for your father in co-op. In the process, you fight through masses of Nazis in a multi-hour campaign. We have already tested it for you: So much fun is Youngblood with two players.

What is a spin-off? Spin-offs, also called offshoots in German, are products that have been extracted from a main work. They do not belong to the fixed course of a game series like Wolfenstein here but are an addition. Often, they highlight elements that are barely addressed in the main work and thereby provide interesting backgrounds for fans.

Why The Elder Scrolls Online is worth it: The MMORPG has been offering a continuously evolving story for years, which will continue in 2021 with the new expansion Blackwood on June 1. Through the concept of “One Tamriel”, all content can be played at any time without losing anything – ideal for catching up and getting to know everything.

More on the topic
5 Reasons Why You Should Start Playing the MMORPG ESO Now
von Alexander Leitsch

Each of the games currently costs more than €10. DOOM Eternal, for example, is still available on Steam for the regular price of €60. So you can save a lot with the Game Pass.

Where does the offer come from? That Bethesda is now offering its best games for a small price in the Game Pass is due to Microsoft’s acquisition of the studio. Microsoft bought Bethesda in September 2020 for $7.5 billion.

For gamers on PC and Xbox, this is good news as they will now have access to strong games for their platforms that can also come cheaply to the Game Pass. Players on PlayStation may now have a disadvantage. Because during a “Round Table” that also presented the games, it was said that some Bethesda games would be released exclusively for Xbox and PC in the future.

However, it is conceivable that games with a “legacy on other platforms” will also appear on these. So if you are looking forward to Fallout 5 or The Elder Scrolls 6, you might still be in luck on PS4 and PS5.

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Source(s):
  1. YouTube

Pokémon GO is now generously distributing XL candies for Legendary Pokémon

In Pokémon GO you can now more easily find XL candies for your monsters and for legendary Pokémon. We will show you what has changed and where you can take advantage of it.

What has changed? Niantic announced at the end of February 2021 that the developers are modifying how XL candies are earned. Since the night of March 12, the changes have been active, and you can now earn XL candies quickly in new ways.

We will show you in this overview here on MeinMMO where you can easily find the candies and how many there are. The change is particularly noticeable with legendary Pokémon.

Here you are guaranteed to find XL candies

Use these opportunities: Niantic has already announced where changes are being made.

  • When trading Pokémon, there is a chance to receive an XL candy for the traded Pokémon. The greater the distance between the catch locations, the higher the chance.
  • There is now a chance for XL candies when walking with your buddy.
  • For catching legendary, mysterious, or evolved Pokémon, you are now guaranteed XL candies.

Trainers of Pokémon GO have already been researching diligently since the changes and compiled their findings. The following changes result:

  • When walking with the buddy, a message will eventually appear that an XL candy has been earned
  • Milestones for trades have not yet been identified to determine guaranteed XL candies
  • Legendary and mysterious Pokémon guarantee at least 3 XL candies per catch
What are XL candies?
From level 1 to 40, you will continue to use Stardust and regular candies for leveling up your Pokémon. After level 40, you will need to switch to Stardust and XL candies.
However, you do not earn guaranteed XL candies when catching regular Pokémon, but only have a chance to do so. This makes this resource so rare.
Where you can get XL candies in Pokémon GO is explained here.

Why is this change important?

This is particularly: It has been a great wish for trainers to receive more XL candies for catching legendary Pokémon. These especially strong Pokémon can only be caught in raids or are rarely obtained through research, the PvP league, or opponents like Giovanni. Because they are so rare, it takes a long time to earn enough XL candies to maximize their CP. This change, therefore, comes at the right time for trainers.

Now it is much easier for you to level up your legendary Pokémon to the highest level. This makes you stronger as attackers in raids and allows you to better face the many new opponents that will be released in the coming weeks and months.

Tip: Right now, there are at least 3 XL candies for each captured Meltan, with a maximum of 6. Whether this is intended by Niantic is still unclear. Trainers advise taking advantage of this quickly before Niantic changes this for Meltan again. Everyone can unlock Meltan boxes for free in Pokémon GO. This way, you can easily collect the XL candies you need for a level 50 Melmetal.

What do you think of the changes to XL candies in Pokémon GO? Do you think it’s good and are you already busy collecting, or do you wish for further changes in other areas?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Reddit
  2. Reddit

When buying the graphics card, you have a pain threshold, but it’s quite high

You told us how much money you would invest in a graphics card. And you are willing to spend quite a bit of money on new hardware. MeinMMO presents the results.

What was it about? Currently, prices for graphics cards and other hardware are rising sharply. That’s why we asked you how much you would spend on a graphics cardnwould.

In our survey, you voted rigorously and indicated how much you would pay for a GPU.

This is how you voted: The survey started on March 12, 2021. By the time of writing (March 12, 2021, 9:44 AM), a total of 986 users participated.

Each participant could cast one vote. Here are the results (sorted by votes):

  • 500 Euros: 173 votes (18 %)
  • 400 Euros: 137 votes (14 %)
  • 600 Euros: 125 votes (13 %)
  • 300 Euros: 119 votes (12 %)
  • 800 Euros: 102 votes (10 %)
  • 700 Euros: 97 votes (10 %)
  • 1,000 Euros: 70 votes (7 %)
  • 200 Euros: 44 votes (4 %)
  • More than 1,500 Euros: 41 votes (4 %)
  • Up to 1,500 Euros: 39 votes (4 %)
  • 900 Euros: 28 votes (3 %)
  • 100 Euros: 11 votes (1 %)

What the numbers say: The survey shows that many of you are willing to spend a lot of money on a graphics card.

The majority of you (18 %) want to pay up to 500 Euros for an upgrade, closely followed by 400 Euros (14 %). In this price range, there are usually fast Full HD and WQHD graphics cards.

However, if you add the numbers together, more than half of you (51 %) are willing to spend between 500 and 800 Euros for a new graphics card. With the GeForce RTX 3080 and the Radeon RX 6800 (XT), there are two very interesting graphics cards for gamers in this price range. A year ago, there was no 4K performance theoretically available for under 1,000 Euros.

This is what our readers think: Some of our readers also commented on the survey.

RealTaku tells on MeinMMO that he had to spend a lot of money on a graphics card now. He writes: “Actually as little as possible, but for the fact that I paid 1849 € for my RTX 3090 last year, I have to state 1500+.”

But there are also users who do not want to spend any more money on a graphics card. Jolux writes on MeinMMO:

Nothing at all anymore. I used to burn several thousands on expensive gaming hardware. Now I’m fine with cloud gaming through Google Stadia. It even runs smoothly on my 8-year-old ultrabook without a graphics card.

AMD and Nvidia released new graphics cards in 2020/2021

AMD and Nvidia have already presented some new graphics cards at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, and it is likely that more presentations will come throughout 2021:

  • AMD recently introduced its latest graphics card, the RX 6700 XT. It will officially be available on March 18 for 479 Euros and offers performance for WQHD resolutions.
  • Nvidia recently released its smallest RTX 3000 card with the GeForce RTX 3060. This is a Full HD graphics card with WQHD capabilities.

Many graphics cards currently cost significantly more than the manufacturer’s suggested price. You currently pay for the RTX 3060 a hefty 700 Euros, the recommendation is 330 Euros.

If you don’t want to pay hefty prices, you can also look in the used graphics card market. Here, you can often find good offers that can save you money.

What do you think of the numbers? Are you generally also willing to invest a lot of money in a graphics card, or is that only due to the current situation? Do you see yourself in the voting results?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

MMORPG to Lord of the Rings announces new graphics and release for PS5 and Xbox Series X - now silent

2021 will be an exciting year for fans of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). Several updates and even a major expansion are planned. But what about the version for PS5 and Xbox Series S?

What is happening with the planned PS5 version of the MMORPG? At the end of 2020, it was mentioned in an investor conference that a next-gen version of LotRO with better graphics is planned for 2022. However, the details of what it will look like and what will change were not disclosed.

Since then, there have been no new updates on this matter. Even in the new letter from Executive Producer Rob Ciccolini, discussing the plans for this year, the version of The Lord of the Rings Online that is supposedly also due for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S is not mentioned. The team remains silent on this.

Whether and when this version will be released is still up in the air. We may learn more about this version of the MMORPG over the course of this year.

Adapting such an old MMORPG for the new consoles and modernizing it to compete with current online role-playing games is extremely ambitious and seems rather unlikely. For now, we will have to wait and see what the developers have to say.

LotRO continues its story

What can LotRO players expect next? Later this month, the Wildwood of Bree will be added to the game. There, you will experience adventures in the wilderness between Bree and Evendim. In the Wildwood, you will encounter two factions and must find out what they are up to.

The special thing about this content is that it is aimed not at high-level players, but rather offers something new for lower-level players.

Also in March, you can celebrate at the spring festival, and the new raid for 6 players, “Naruhel the Red Maid,” promises cosmetic items and further rewards.

There will also be a start to the “Further Adventures” in spring. This will involve quest lines with new stories about well-known characters from the world of Middle-earth. The first story will revolve around the hobbit Bilbo Baggins.

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The War of the Three Peaks continues this year in LotRO.

What will happen next with the story about the Dwarves? Summer will bring the major update 30 titled “The Blood of Azog” to the MMORPG LotRO. In this update, you will learn how the War of the Three Peaks progresses. The update will bring new quests and missions as well as another raid.

You will experience the conclusion of the Dwarven story in autumn with the major expansion “Gundabad.” The developers have not revealed much about this, except that it concludes the story of Durin’s Legacy and the trial of the Dwarves.

What else is happening in 2021? The Wastes and Mordor will be added to the legendary servers. Perhaps the Grey Mountains will also be added by the end of the year.

Additionally, adjustments to the PvMP, the Player vs. Monster combat, are planned. Adjustments to legendary items are also in the works.

The Lord of the Rings Online, despite being nearly 14 years old, remains one of the 13 best free-to-play MMORPGs.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Website von LotRO

Pokémon GO finally shows how rare Pokémon are in eggs – But not every trainer

In Pokémon GO there is finally the long-demanded transparency regarding hatching Pokémon. Some trainers can now see how rare monsters are in the eggs.

This is new: Some trainers can now see which Pokémon are inside the eggs and how rare they are. This way, the egg pool is at least not just a matter of luck, but gives you at least a rough overview.

Thus, the wish of many trainers who called for more transparency regarding the eggs has been fulfilled.

How the egg transparency works

Who can use the new feature? Only some trainers are affected by this. The selection seems to have been made randomly. You can see if you are affected when you collect a new egg. If you get the Pokémon overview there, then you are one of the lucky testers.

What trainers are showing: On reddit, affected players give an overview of the adjustment. When they now collect an egg, they get this overview:

Egg Overview Pokémon GO
Click the image to enlarge. Source: reddit

This is how the new overview works: At the top of the list, you will find the Pokémon that appear particularly frequently in the eggs. At the bottom of the list are the monsters that are quite rare.

In general, you have an overview of all the monsters that are inside the eggs. Keep in mind that the list may vary slightly depending on the region. This is due to the regional Pokémon.

This is how the new feature is received: Overall, the general sentiment is positive. However, it is often only referred to as “a step in the right direction.” After all, the overview does not show exact probabilities. While it is known that Milza is the rarest in the 10-kilometer eggs, it is not known how rare it actually is.

What was the problem with the eggs? Since the release of Pokémon GO, the contents of the eggs have been controversial. Until now, there was no official information about what exactly is inside the eggs and how likely the Pokémon are.

It became really controversial in the summer of 2020. There, Niantic introduced Shiny Kapuno and mainly included it in event eggs. The chance of getting the Pokémon was incredibly low, causing some players to spend dozens of euros without getting even a normal Kapuno in the end.

Since the Kapuno incident, the outcry for more transparency has grown louder. There has been a call for Niantic to finally reveal which Pokémon are inside the eggs and how rare they are. Now, the community’s wish has at least been partially considered.

What else is going on in Pokémon GO? This weekend, the smoke day is coming to Pokémon GO, and you will be able to attract numerous Tanhel. Otherwise, there will also be more events in March. You can find an overview of them here:

Pokémon GO: All events in March 2021 – Which ones are worth it?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Playing the MMORPG ESO Now

The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the West in 2021. We tell you why now is a good time to start or return to the game.

The MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) was released in April 2014 and has since received many updates and new expansions.

However, in 2021, the developer ZeniMax Online focuses on topics like entry and the performance of the game. We reveal what speaks for starting now.

1. Leveling has been simplified right now

On March 8, the new Update 29 was released on PC. This brought some adjustments related to the leveling process:

  • For the first levels 1 to 50, there are now generally more bonus stats than before. This gives you, for example, more health or more magicka for casting spells.
  • The additional stats were previously distributed when players leveled up the so-called Champion Points beyond level 50. They have been effectively pulled forward, making the entry a bit easier.

At the same time, leveling the Champion Points has changed. You now gain these significantly faster and need fewer experience points. This is also a plus for newcomers.

A small downside is the tutorial, which is somewhat outdated and no longer fits the concept that you can start anywhere in the world. This is also set to be revised this year, but only with the release of the new expansion Blackwood in June 2021.

If you haven’t dealt with ESO at all, you can find an overview of the MMORPG from YouTuber Entenburg here:

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2. You can play the latest content directly

In general, ESO is very beginner-friendly, as you are automatically scaled in the game world so that you can keep up in the open world and in normal mode dungeons without having reached a specific level or having particular equipment.

So you can:

  • Complete all quests in the game
  • Experience all story content
  • Always find relevant loot
  • Play directly with your friends

Behind this scaling is the concept “One Tamriel”, which was introduced in the MMORPG in 2016.

However, you will need the appropriate expansion or DLC for the respective content. We have explained how to get the DLCs cheaply here. A detailed explanation of the DLCs and expansions can be found in the FAQ at the end of the article.

3. ESO can be played alone or with others

With scaling and the beautiful stories, ESO plays a bit like a single-player game. No wonder it is often compared more to Skyrim than to World of Warcraft.

ESO places great importance on storytelling. All quests are fully voiced and as you would expect from Elder Scrolls, you are offered a ton of cool, exciting, creepy, and sometimes just quirky stories.

If you prefer to focus on multiplayer content instead, you can experience huge world events, open and instanced dungeons or trials for 12 players. There are also guilds you can join and explore the game world together.

4. You can already prepare for the new expansion

On June 1, the Blackwood expansion will be released. This brings:

However, to be perfectly prepared for the story and content of this expansion, you should complete the base game first to familiarize yourself with Daedra lords.

Additionally, you can already try out the various classes, create a build, and farm gear so you’re ready for the new trial.

ESO Blackwood pre-order
In Blackwood you will meet the Daedra lord Mehrunes Dagon (shown here).

The companions are coming

The new NPC companions in ESO will be released with the Blackwood expansion. They are intended to take on classic roles like healer, tank, or damage dealer. This will make the game even more beginner- and solo-friendly.

At the launch of the expansion, there will be two different companions, one of whom can always accompany you. Their names are Mary and Bastion. However, more NPC helpers are planned for the future.

More details about companions can be found in our special: ESO introduces NPC companions – It’s never been easier to reach the endgame.

ESO Companion System
These are the two companions that will come to ESO in 2021.

5. There is simply a lot to do

ESO was released in 2014 and has since been constantly supplied with new content. Every year, a major expansion is released along with 3 DLCs featuring new areas, new story, and new dungeons.

If you start with ESO now, you have hundreds of hours of story content ahead of you. In addition, there are numerous side quests like housing or the area guide that leads you to all quests and specialties in each area.

You can be sure that you will always encounter other players who will help you with quests or world events.

If you are not completely new to ESO but are returning to the game, here is an overview of the most important new features and tips:

You want to return to ESO? 13 tips for re-entry

FAQ about getting started in ESO

Where can you play ESO?

ESO is available on PC as a standalone client or on Steam, on Mac, on Stadia, as well as for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5.

What do you need to get started?

ESO is a Buy2Play MMORPG and must be purchased first. The base game is available for €19.99 or free in the Xbox Game Pass.

However, there are now numerous expansions and DLCs that are not included in the base game.

What are expansions and DLCs?

Expansions are large content updates that stand alone. Currently, there are 5 in ESO: Morrowind, Summerset, Elsweyr, Greymoor, and the upcoming Blackwood.

There are also some more DLCs. These are smaller updates that include dungeons or a single area. You can either buy these for real money or automatically unlock them all if you subscribe to the monthly ESO+ plan.

What is ESO+?

This is a monthly subscription that gives you automatic access to all DLCs and various bonuses like additional inventory slots, more XP, and more gold. It costs €12.99 per month.

How can you get most content cheaply now?

You can get the expansions best by purchasing the standard collection of the upcoming expansion Blackwood. It costs €55, automatically includes access to the game and all prior expansions as well as the upcoming content in June 2021. Only the DLCs remain open.

Is there crossplay in ESO?

Yes and no. PC, Mac, and Stadia share servers. Xbox and PlayStation, however, each have their own servers.

Where can I find tips for beginners?

We at MeinMMO have created two interesting beginner guides for you:
ESO: 13 tips for beginners that make it easier for you to get started
3 beginner builds for a good start in ESO

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

WoW: New Puzzle Pet Found, Needs 9 Players at Once

A damn cute pet in World of Warcraft has finally been found. We reveal how to obtain the little Larion cub “Courage”.

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands has been out for over 3 months, but not all puzzles have been solved yet. Only shortly after the release of patch 9.0.5 have players managed to find one of the riddle pets. This is the little Larion cub “Courage”, which you can earn in Bastion. At least if you have at least 8 players with you.

How do you get the pet? You need a total of 9 players to unlock Courage. So invite 8 friends and then head together to Nemea in Bastion. You can find this NPC at the coordinates 57 / 39.

There are a total of 9 Larion cubs around Nemea. These are the little “flying lions” that you encounter more frequently in Bastion. It’s best to mark them with various symbols in the raid and assign each cub to a player.

WoW Nemea Larion Master
Nemea is surrounded by many Larion cubs …

Now you need to coordinate well. To solve the “puzzle”, all 9 Larion cubs must be petted simultaneously – this is done by right-clicking. It’s best to start a countdown or count down in voice chat.

If the attempt is successful and everyone clicks at the same time, the little “Courage” will appear right next to the NPC Nemea.

Courage only lasts for about 30 to 45 seconds before it disappears again. During this time, all players can click on Courage and directly add it to their inventory.

WoW Larion Cub
… that you all need to pet simultaneously!

Group search makes it easy: Currently, there are many players who want to acquire the pet. If there aren’t enough friends available, you can also simply use the group search. Look for “Courage” or its German name “Mut” and you should quickly assemble a group.

At least in the first few days, finding a group should go quickly, so you should act fast before the rest of the player base no longer needs those groups.

WoW puzzles have tradition: For several expansions now, it has become a tradition at Blizzard to hide smaller and larger puzzles in the game files. Even though Courage was one of the easier puzzles, there are many secrets in WoW that are hidden behind incredibly difficult puzzles that are virtually impossible to find by chance. Here are some of the most complex and challenging puzzles (along with their rewards), which we have presented here:

What kind of pet is this? There are several Larion pets in the game, which are primarily characterized by their cuteness. The Larion are a kind of flying lion, which are mainly native to Bastion. The pets themselves are quite cute and have a special ability. When you are on a flying mount, the little Larion cubs will also take off and accompany you on adventures in the skies.

However, for pet battles, the Larion cubs seem to be less suitable. Their abilities are more useful in niche situations or simply too ordinary to compete against other pets. Nonetheless, they can still be a solid addition.

Have you already obtained “Courage” and leveled it to level 25? Or have you not had time for pet battles in the Shadowlands yet?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wowhead.com

Players fear, ‘greedy’ German company kills their favorite MMORPG Rift

The MMORPG Rift has been running since 2011 and was once intended as an alternative to WoW. Meanwhile, the game belongs to the German company Gamigo, which has just buried a series of MMORPGs. The fans of Rift fear: “We are the next.” However, a community manager reassures the fans.

What is going on with Rift? The MMORPG Rift was long the flagship of the MMO company Trion Worlds. “RIFT: Planes of Telara” launched in 2011 as a competitor to the popular WoW and was quite a hit at release. The game brought several features that are highly valued by MMORPG fans:

  • It has a clever class system
  • offers a clever “group” event with the Rifts
  • had a fair “Free2Play” payment model for years, starting in 2013
  • brought more cool features in housing and pets

Rift has always been considered a solid, “good” MMORPG, missing only that “certain something” to become a major hit. It was often criticized for being “too close to WoW” and not daring enough to be unique. However, Rift had many fans, especially at the beginning, and was a significant success for Trion Worlds during the great MMORPG wave.

But Rift could not maintain its success in the long term, and in recent years, the game has declined. The content became weaker, the payment model more stingy and the fans angrier.

Meanwhile, Rift is on our list of the “WoW killers that have been killed by WoW.” Even though it is not dead yet, the glory days of Rift are clearly over.

More on the topic
I predict: These 6 MMOs will die in 2021
von Alexander Leitsch

German company takes over Rift, treats it poorly

When did it start to decline? It wasn’t necessarily due to Rift, but Trion Worlds had a series of failures with new games and had to give up in 2018: The company was sold.

The games of Trion Worlds were ultimately taken over by the German company Gamigo. Their business policy consists of acquiring existing MMORPGs, saving costs through synergy effects and continuing to operate the games and make money with them.

That’s why Rift fans are worried: Even at the takeover of Trion Worlds, things did not look good for Rift. It was treated rather poorly and hardly mentioned anymore. Gamigo’s focus at that time was on the newer MMORPG ArcheAge and Trove. The focus is still on these two games today.

Moreover, Gamigo was recently on a “we are killing MMORPGs” trip. At the end of February, they killed three games they had previously bought, including Eden Eternal, Twin Saga, and the shooter Defiance. The latter also came from Trion Worlds and was only slightly better off in terms of profits than Rift.

When they shut down these MMOs, Gamigo encouraged their players to check out the other MMORPGs of the company, but only mentioned Trove and ArcheAge as alternatives. There was no word about Rift.

Additionally, the MMORPG site MassivelyOP reported new news: a source had tipped them off that several “Gamigo developers” in the USA had been laid off. Among them were two long-time and well-known Rift developers, Kerilar and Acalos.

“Are we the next?”

This is how the fans reacted: In the Rift forum, there were serious concerns from players that their MMORPG Rift is now “the next” to die.

There were rumors that the “stingy” German company Gamigo wanted to save more costs, had laid off developers in the USA, and planned to relocate the team to Europe.

The fear was exacerbated by the fact that for more than two weeks, no official appeared in the forum to make a statement. The opinion towards Gamigo is rather negative. A user said he feels they are stingy. Surely the employees are underpaid.

The fans then clung to statistics and numbers showing that Gamigo would not simply kill their MMORPG, as it had performed relatively well in the profit ranking. Defiance was running even worse and similar.

Gamigo gives a relatively non-specific all-clear

This is what Gamigo says now: In the end, the community manager has now made a brief statement. He said: There has indeed been an “internal restructuring”, which probably means that people were actually laid off.

However, they could not make it public.

It is said, however, that Rift will not be closed. And they assure the fans that “a team continues to work on Rift” – and also on further developments.

In an official statement to MassivelyOp, it further states:

  • Gamigo does not plan to relocate the development team to Europe
  • they want to continue to “work hard on the core MMORPGs”, but do not explicitly mention RIFT
  • they have “several new titles in the pipeline”
  • the layoffs are not as extensive as originally feared
rift wand
There have unfortunately been hardly any positive news about Rift in recent years

This is what it’s about: For the existing players of Rift, this is a strange situation. They are clearly on a sinking ship, but it is not clear how fast it is sinking.

Gamigo’s communication suggests that people were laid off and that Rift is not at the top of the priority list anymore, but also not on the “death” list yet.

This is communicatively difficult for Gamigo: They need to give the impression that it is still worthwhile to invest money in Rift, but they cannot have high expectations, as this would make them look ridiculous. The fans already know that apparently nothing major is coming.

If Gamigo had not taken over the MMORPG Rift in 2018, the game would probably have been dead for 3 years, like other MMORPGs that could no longer find enough players and could not cover their operating costs.

More on the topic
74-Year-Old bids farewell to his MMORPG after 17 years
von Schuhmann

Gamigo’s business principle is that they do not develop their own major games for a high cost, but rather buy existing games and try to continue them as cost-effectively as possible. These games often have long-standing and also clear-sighted fans, who try to recognize the intentions in Gamigo’s nebulous actions regarding what is happening with their favorite game.

There are the big MMORPGs that everyone has played at least once, such as ESO, WoW, or Final Fantasy XIV, but there are also many more. Here are the 15 most popular MMORPGs in Germany:

According to Google, these are the 15 most popular MMORPGs in Germany

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Theory in Destiny 2 promises a new weapon type and you already know its first exotic

Destiny 2 is expected to receive a new and yet-to-be-revealed Exotic in Season 13, according to the “Hammer Theory,” which we all already have in our inventory.

In Season 13, the Season of the Chosen, Guardians have only been able to get their hands on two new Exotic weapons so far:

However, another exotic gem is expected to arrive by May 2021. Essentially, you are already using the weapon.

This is expected to be the new Exotic: The Hammer of Proving is set to be added as a new exotic power weapon. This would then be the next melee toy for the Guardians to swing from the third person, alongside swords.

So far, we only enhance the characteristics of the hammer as a quest item

We have been carrying the oversized Hammer of Proving in our quest inventory throughout Season 13 but have not yet used it as an Exotic weapon. According to Forbes, that should change soon.

The Exotic Hammer Theory from Season 13

Three factors support this: the story, hints from Bungie, and the fact that the quest item already has its own combat animations.

The theory about the new Exotic was proposed by Forbes on March 10. Author Paul Tassi has made a name for himself as a Destiny expert over the years. Even though he hasn’t always been right with his predictions, this theory is interesting, and we want to delve deeper into it.

This is how we already use the hammer: Season 13 introduced the Battlegrounds as a new activity. After completion, Guardians can earn extra loot by smashing chests – which can be done with the Hammer of Proving. Bungie has even created an animation specifically for the hammer swing and rendered it in 3D.

Basically, it is a quest item that can be equipped with runes like all comparable items, impacting seasonal loot. Unlike, for example, the Chalice of Opulence or the Talisman from Season 12, we’re actually using the hammer and not just clicking around in menus.

It seems plausible that the effort put into the animation was not done simply for show but is intended for future use. It could, for instance, relate to the heavy attack where the player slams down with force.

Destiny 2 Hammer Fire Trial Battleground S13
We can already wield the oversized hammer

Bungie itself and the story of Season 13 support this

This is how the weapon could exist: According to Forbes, it fits perfectly with the story and lore of Season 13 that the grim Cabals Empress Caiatl gives the Guardians the hammer. So, as an exotic weapon, she hands it over, since we have already received the hammer as a quest item.

  • Throughout the entire season, it revolves around honor and proving to the Cabal that we are worthy and can pass all trials.
  • The Empress is not in open war with us but rather tests us, and weekly we prove to her that her strongest warriors stand no chance against us.
  • The new strike, going live on March 16, is called “Proving Grounds” and should challenge us once more. This is promised by the official roadmap.
  • And all this because Zavala did not want to kneel before the turtle princess. That’s why he’s now also on the hit list.

Essentially, the Guardians are expected to prove themselves worthy by the end of the season and receive the Hammer of Proving as a permanent gift. Then, it won’t be to smash chests but rather unworthy foes.

The hammer is supposed to be equipped like an exotic sword, require power ammo, and represent a new weapon class.

What has Bungie hinted at? Just before the start of Season 13, Community Manager Cozmo from Bungie commented on third-person weapons (via Twitter).

He mentioned “swords and all potential future third-person weapons.” The topic was previously the PvP issue where players gain a visibility advantage with these weapons and emotes by breaking out of the limited first-person perspective.

Rise of Iron Iron Lord Saladin title Destiny
Are hammers and axes really coming soon as a new weapon class to Destiny 2?

That Bungie might have hinted at a new weapon class in third-person, we also speculated here on MeinMMO on February 1: Destiny 2 talks about a fix for annoying PvP phenomenon, hinting at new weapons.

What do you think? Will we soon be able to choose between swords and hammers? Or do you find a completely new weapon class in Season 13 questionable? After all, when bows were introduced with Forsaken (2018), it was a major expansion.

If you’re wondering whether Forsaken might end up in the content vault: Yes, Bungie will eventually remove the best expansion from Destiny 2

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Forbes

Genshin Impact: Leak reveals possible new content featuring Qiqi

While many characters in Genshin Impact already have their own story quests, Qiqi has so far gone without a dedicated character quest. A leak suggests that this may possibly change in the future.

This is what the leak shows: Via Twitter, the account “Lumie” shared a short video. Lumie has previously gained attention with leaks, such as about the heroine Hu-Tao. The latest video shows images that Lumie describes as “a small preview of Qiqi’s dungeon.”

https://twitter.com/lumie_lumie/status/1369846427673890817?s=20

In the 46-second video, Qiqi can be seen moving through an old, yet sunny ruin. At the same time, it is noted that no release date is known yet and that the dungeon may significantly differ from what is shown.

In the comments, users already suspect that this could be the first hint of a story quest for Qiqi. According to a report from “DualShockers“, the video could indicate that such content is planned for the 1.5 update. Previously, rumors had mentioned a possible Qiqi banner for the 1.5 update (via TechTimes).

So far, Qiqi cannot be obtained in Genshin Impact through her own banner, but can be acquired with some luck from the Wanderlust banner or with a small chance from the other character banners. Qiqi is classified as a character from S-Tier and is hard to get, as she has very low drop rates.

Who is Qiqi? Qiqi comes from Liyue and is a 5-star character. Among the characters in the game, she is somewhat special, as she is essentially a zombie girl. When she is not on adventures with you, she works at the Bubu hut in Liyue. She wields the Ice element and is a strong supporter capable of providing high healing.

Testing Phase for Update 1.5 Begins

When does the update arrive? The next update is Update 1.4, which is set to be released on March 17. Generally, major updates for Genshin Impact are released on a six-week schedule, making a release for Update 1.5 plausible by the end of April.

For a beta testing phase of the patch, players can sign up via the official Discord of Genshin Impact. However, players must sign an NDA to ensure that no content from the testing phase is shared publicly. Sharing videos or images from the test is therefore prohibited.

Whether Qiqi is part of the update should soon become clear for beta testers. All others will have to wait a little longer.

Are you playing Genshin Impact on the mobile version and looking for an alternative while waiting for the new updates? Then you can find here the 9 best mobile MMORPGs for iOS and Android.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pro player plays 33 hours straight Apex Legends, reaches the highest rank out of nowhere

The professional player Timmy “iiTzTimmy” An has set himself a challenge in Apex Legends: to reach the Master rank on the leaderboard with a fresh account. He achieved this – and had to play for 33 hours straight.

Who is the professional? iiTzTimmy is a Twitch streamer and professional player in Apex Legends for the American team Golden Guardians (via liquipedia). The team belongs to the Golden State Warriors, an official NBA basketball team.

iiTzTimmy has participated in numerous smaller tournaments with his team over the years and has been moderately successful. Only a few thousand US dollars have come of it. In Apex Legends, he has made a name for himself by setting the world record for the most damage in a round (via YouTube).

With a new challenge that iiTzTimmy set for himself, he was able to impress even more. In just three hours, he played from the lowest rank “Bronze” to the highest rank “Master” in Apex Legends.

What is the ranking system of Apex Legends? Since Season 2, Apex Legends has offered the opportunity to play ranked matches. In these, players can earn leaderboard points to climb the various ranks.

The ranks range from “Bronze” to “Master”. Above Master, there is only the rank “Apex Predator”, which, however, is outside the categories. Predators are the 750 players on each platform with the most leaderboard points.

Ranked games differ from regular matches in that you always compete against players with a similar skill level.

33 hours for the highest rank

Here’s how it went for the professional: iiTzTimmy streamed on Twitch for nearly 33 hours and 40 minutes on March 8 without significant interruptions. During this time, he blasted through dozens of ranked matches.

He started with a fresh account – completely from scratch. Through the initial matches, he was able to plow through the opponents with ease. Of course, he is an experienced, skilled player facing beginners or generally less experienced players.

It took a little longer to reach the Platinum and Diamond divisions. A disconnect even cost him a victory, which set him back briefly. Nevertheless, after a little over 33 hours, he finally managed to reach the Master rank:

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The complete video with the total 33:40 hours can be found on his channel on Twitch.

How did he do it? iiTzTimmy played the entire time solo, meaning without fixed team members from his pro team. His entire success is thanks to his own skill and that of his random teammates.

For his matches, he primarily relied on Horizon, the legend from Season 7 of Apex Legends. Horizon is an astrophysicist and is classified as an attacker in Apex Legends. She can:

  • create a gravity lift that propels players into the air
  • better control her descent and suffers no movement penalty when landing
  • create a black hole as her Ultimate that pulls enemy players into its center

Her kit makes Horizon a potentially strong legend both on her own and in a team. Combined with other abilities, her Ultimate can easily wipe out entire teams or distract them enough for Horizon to take them down alone.

However, this requires a lot of practice, which iiTzTimmy obviously has, because in our tier list of all legends in Apex Legends, Horizon barely makes it into the B-tier.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Borderlands 3 postpones DLC with cool raid boss – Due to storm

The Director’s Cut for Borderlands 3 was supposed to be released in March. However, severe storms caused issues for the developers.

When is the new DLC for Borderlands 3 coming? Originally, the Director’s Cut for Borderlands 3 was set to release on March 18. Now the paid DLC has been postponed: instead of being released in March, it will now be available on April 08, 2021. However, the reason for this is unusual.

Via Twitter, the developers explained that the severe weather conditions last month in Texas led to the delay.

In the USA, there were severe winter storms in February. The US state of Texas was affected by a strong winter storm that caused extensive power outages, among other things. The state’s infrastructure was heavily impacted, and there were also damages to water lines.

The team is safe and healthy, but the challenges of the situation interrupted work on the Director’s Cut, according to the statement. Therefore, a decision was made to postpone the release. This means that players waiting for new content for Borderlands 3 will have to be patient a little longer.

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Director’s Cut brings more endgame content to Borderlands 3

What’s included in the Director’s Cut: The DLC is part of Season Pass 2 and brings a huge Varkid raid boss to the game. Players have been waiting for a raid boss in this form despite content like the Takedowns. With the DLC, the fight is supposed to become accessible.

To challenge the boss, players must complete the main story in the game and pay 500 Eridium units with their group. The Varkid named “Hemovorous, the Invincible” is expected to become one of the toughest endgame challenges in the game, scaling with both levels and the chosen mayhem mode.

This is the new boss Hemovorous.

Additionally, there will be a new series of story missions following the character Ava through a mysterious series of murders. The new missions are expected to lead players back through the locations of Pandora, Promethea, Eden-6, and Nekrotefayo.

Furthermore, new vault cards are intended to provide players with new challenges every day, which can be completed for additional rewards. This will be rounded off with features such as concept art and cosmetics for the vault hunters.

Are you looking for more multiplayer shooters? Then you can find here the 5 best co-op shooters with open world in 2021.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Gearbox
  2. Tagesschau

WoW Guide: How to unlock the “Bound Shadehound” mount

WoW has secretly added a new mount. MeinMMO reveals in the guide how to quickly unlock the “Bound Shadehound”.

Not all content from Patch 9.0.5 is listed in the patch notes. A more or less “secret” mount has snuck into World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. This is a Bound Shadehound. A mount that you often see among the Maw’s servants. You can’t just buy the mount, as it’s hidden behind a little puzzle. We will show you step by step how to unlock this mount and then ride it in the Maw!

The images shown in this article are from wowhead.

1. Buy the Stygian Tensor

First, you need to buy the Stygian Tensor from Ve’nari in Ve’naris Refuge. It costs a staggering 1,500 Stygia and will only be offered to you if you have already reached maximum reputation with her. If not, you need to gather more reputation by completing daily and weekly quests or defeating rare enemies in the Maw.

Anyone who has been gathering reputation since the launch of Shadowlands should have long since reached the maximum with her.

With the Stygian Tensor, you can locate small green clouds everywhere in the Maw. These are usually in hard-to-reach places (like on towers, behind strong enemies, or at the end of caves).

WoW Shadehound Guide 1
You need to find these green clouds.

Use the Tensor to extract Stygia Shards and Stygian Dust from the clouds. Collect at least 200 shards and dust each.

The small clouds will also be displayed on the minimap as soon as you are nearby – if you are carrying the Stygian Tensor.

2. Off to the Torghast Fortress

Now you need to travel to the Torghast Fortress and go to the coordinates 23 / 68. There you can see a hook that you can select to pull yourself up onto a platform gradually until you reach coordinates 24 / 76. This is a tower with a green cloud. Use the Stygian Tensor here to switch to another phase.

A box with 6 runes will now appear, floating above the box. By clicking on the runes, you can swap the positions of any two runes.

Focus on the tips of the tower surrounding you. At the tips, you will see the identical runes that are also floating above the box.

The correct order of the runes on the box.

You need to ensure that the runes above the box are in the same order as the runes at the tips. The first rune corresponds to the tip left of the hook point, then proceed clockwise.

But be careful! You should not simply click wildly. If you take too many steps or take too long, this part of the puzzle will be locked for two hours. Then you will have to return later and try again.

Once you have solved the puzzle, you can open the box and receive a Crumbling Stela.

3. Ve’nari and the Codex

Once you have the Crumbling Stela in your inventory, you can return to Ve’nari. She now has a new item available, a not yet complete Rune Codex. It costs a whopping 2,000 Stygia and sends you on the next mission.

You need to complete the Codex by finding the missing pages. These can be found at the following coordinates:

  • Page 1 can be found in a cave of the Beast Maze. The entrance to the cave is at coordinates 49 / 85.
  • Page 2 can be found in the Torghast Fortress, on the platform with the rare enemy Tanassos. The page is located at coordinates 27 / 72.
  • The last page can be found in the Tremaculum on one of the towers where Anduin was held at the beginning of Shadowlands. The exact coordinates are 27 / 13.
The pages glow and sparkle slightly, making them easy to spot.

Once you have collected all the pages, you can transform the Codex into its complete version. The Codex basically tells you how to solve the rest of the puzzle.

4. Crafting the Metals

For this step, you need to have farmed a significant amount first. You will need:

  • 200x Stygian Dust
  • 200x Stygia Shards
  • 1x Soul Smith’s Tools

You obtain dust and shards from the aforementioned green clouds, while the Soul Smith’s Tools can be obtained from Soul Smith Rhovus, a rare mob at coordinates 36 / 42.

Once you have collected the items, head to the coordinates 23 / 68, where you can select a hook point again. Work your way up the fortress with multiple hooks until you arrive at the Soul Steel Anvil at coordinates 20 / 67.

Process the dust and shards into 20 Stygian Bars and then the bars with the tools into “Armored Shell”.

WoW Shadehound Guide 4
At the anvil, you process the items.

5. Catch the Stray Soul

This step is quite simple. Go to the Soul River Gorgoa and look for a stray soul. This is the soul of a wolf that wanders south from the north through the river. After a while, it reappears in the north and repeats its route. You just need to click the soul and you will receive a Wolf Soul.

WoW Shadehound Guide 5
This Wolf Soul later serves as your mount.

6. Bind the Soul

The last step is also simple. Travel to the coordinates 45 / 48 and click the altar. This creates a “Wild Shadehound”.

This is a quest starter that provides you with the final step of this puzzle. Once you use the item, you will mount the wild shadehound that will panic and run in all directions. You now need to click the runes in the correct order to successfully bind the mount to yourself.

The correct order of the runes can be found on the stela that you received in step 2 of this puzzle.

Is the mount worth it? Especially for players who want to ride in the Maw without relying on luck or wanting to play through the winding corridors of Torghast. The “Bound Shadehound” is a good alternative to the other two mounts and can be earned relatively quickly with comparatively little effort.

Is the mount needed in the long term? No. Starting with Patch 9.1 Chains of Domination, players will have the opportunity to unlock all mounts for the Maw. However, this patch is still at least a few months away, so you will have to wait a long time for the unlocking of this ability. If you don’t want to travel permanently on foot through the Maw until then, you should at least consider acquiring the Shadehound.

Have you already obtained the new mount? Or is that too much effort for you?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. wowhead.com

Valheim: Viking farms endless resources – method is creative, but also brutal

A player has found a way to exploit the game mechanics in Valheim for endless resources. To do this, he builds a kind of very grotesque killing machine from simple means that automatically eliminates enemies and provides him with loot.

What kind of device is this? Reddit user Leathermattress calls his creation the “Greydwarf Toaster 5000”. It consists basically of a large hole, a fence, and many campfires. Crafting this “toaster” is relatively easy:

  • find a spawner – these are objects in the world where enemies continuously appear
  • dig a pit around the spawner with the pickaxe without destroying it. Here you can learn how to get your first pickaxe in Valheim
  • build campfires around the pillar on which the spawner should now stand
  • put up fences (Skigard) so that the fires are enclosed
  • alternatively, build palisades or stakes around the pit if you are worried the fence won’t hold

This construct allows you to simply wait until the enemies die and then collect their loot. You don’t have to fight. You can see what it looks like in the embedded reddit post here:

The Greydwarf toaster 5000. from r/valheim

How does it work? In Valheim, there are so-called “spawners” around which enemies reappear regularly until they are destroyed. The enemies always spawn close to the spawner and only begin moving shortly after.

However, since a hole has been dug around the spawner in this case, the enemies fall directly into the pit. There, burning fires surrounded by a fence wait. The fire continuously deals damage to them and slowly kills them, while the fence prevents them from escaping.

All enemies in Valheim leave loot behind, and when they die through this “toaster”, you can collect everything they leave behind. This can be quite rewarding.

Farm endless resources without fighting

What resources can I farm? Depending on which area you are in and which spawners you find, you can get different resources. The most commonly found spawners are:

  • Greydwarf nests for various greydwarfs – a source primarily for resin, wood, and greydwarf eyes for portals
  • Bone piles for skeletons – providing you with bone fragments
  • Corpse piles for draugrs – good for entrails

Especially the corpse piles are particularly useful since you need entrails for sausages. Sausages are strong food that can help you through midgame and until about the fourth boss, as they are easy to make. In our guide, you will find the best food in Valheim and how to craft it.

These “toasters” are well-received as an idea in the community, even though they look a bit brutal. Considering that the greydwarfs were serious criminals, murderers, and similar in their past lives, many players do not take this treatment too harshly. Still, it all somewhat reminds one of the chamber of another player, where he tortures these greydwarfs.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit

Pokémon GO starts today bonus hour with more candies

In Pokémon GO, today, on March 11, there is a Mega Bonus Hour with Candy Bonus. We will show you what is happening and how to get more candies.

What kind of event is this? Since March 2021, Niantic has been bringing the bonus hour once a week on Thursdays. Today, on March 11, is the second time for this. In a week, the next event of this kind will start. So far, these are tests by the developers to see how these events are received by players.

Here on MeinMMO, we will show you what you need to know about the Mega Bonus Hour today.

Mega Bonus Hour on March 11 – All Information

When does it start? The bonus hour starts, as you are used to from other weekly events, at 6:00 PM. It will be active for one hour.

What happens during this time? The focus of todays bonus hour is on candies. Niantic explains: “You earn even more candies when you catch Pokémon that share a type with your active Mega Pokémon.” According to initial reports, the candies are increased by 2 per catch.

Regular Events in Pokémon GO
If Niantic keeps the bonus hour, there will already be three fixed dates per week for the one-hour events.
– Every Tuesday, a Spotlight Hour takes place.
– Every Wednesday, a Raid Hour takes place.
– And Thursday could then be secured for the bonus hour.
This will be complemented by regular formats such as Community Day, Go Fest, and multi-day events.

What is the problem? Trainers complain that this Mega Bonus Hour is scheduled at a wrong time. Trainer AidenB131313 writes on reddit: “Without available Rock, Steel, or Ground Megas to take advantage of the currently ongoing event spawns. Brilliant.”

Currently, Pokémon GO is favoring spawns of the types Rock, Steel, and Ground. A Mega Pokémon that supports these increased spawns would therefore be desirable. This is causing discontent among trainers.

However, the event isn’t wasted. There are also a few spawns that fit the Electric type.

You should keep this in mind: If you have Mega Ampharos available, you can activate it and receive more candies for catching Magnemite, Pikachu, Alolan Geodude (from incense), Voltorb, and Thundurus. So the event isnt entirely useless, but it is quite specific.

If you use this for Thundurus, check out our counter guide for Thundurus in Pokémon GO. We will show you many useful attackers that you can use in the raid.

How do you like the format of the bonus hours? Do you find it exciting to have a bonus for one hour and to be able to plan another day of the week for it? Or does Pokémon GO already have enough fixed event dates?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

CoD Warzone: 2 Assault Rifles are now significantly stronger – Try these setups

Season 2 brought some changes to the attachments in Call of Duty: Warzone, which suddenly made two weapons from the arsenal of Black Ops Cold War significantly stronger – the AK-47 and the XM4. MeinMMO shows you details and setups.

The start of Season 2 significantly mixed up the weapon setups of the firearms from Cold War. On one hand, there were the broken suppressors, which made the weapons partly completely useless, and on the other hand, attachments were fixed that were hardly usable before the season started.

The suppressors are working again, and the hidden changes to the attachments of the best weapons in Warzone have mostly been analyzed and evaluated. Now seems to be the right time for Warzone experts like “JGOD” and “TheXclusiveAce” to look beyond the horizon again.

They found 2 weapons that are moving closer to the top due to solid buffs: the assault rifles AK-47 and XM4 from Cold War. MeinMMO shows you how the weapons perform in the Warzone and which setups the data experts recommend.

AK-47 and XM4 are now worth a try in Warzone

Both assault rifles had no chance in Season 1 in Battle Royale because their barrel attachments were so miserable. Instead of providing bonuses to your bullet speed, you ended up with heavy suits.

Since the “Cold War” weapons generally travel with lower bullet speeds than the guns from CoD MW, you usually need a strong barrel for this important value. The slow bullets are otherwise a noticeable disadvantage.

With Season 2, both weapons now have decent barrels. They also bring strong damage values, which allows them to climb the Warzone tier list. We show you how far they can go.

Warzone: AK-47 is a strong close-combat weapon, but with flaws

How strong is the AK-47 in Warzone? The “Cold War” AK places itself alongside the FFAR 1 and the CR-56 AMAX with its properties. Thus, it has strong competition that it cannot outshine. Nevertheless, its values are impressive. In the first damage range, it takes down enemies with full armor and chest shots in 500 milliseconds, which is considered a good value in Warzone:

cod warzone weapon comparison ak-47 cold war competition
The AK-47 from Cold War has a TTK of exactly 500 ms. Source: truegamedata

However, you need fewer bullets to kill your enemies. The AK deals 43 damage with a chest shot and thus requires only 6 bullets at 250 health. No other all-round weapon needs fewer.

However, the weapon recoils too much when firing to rank at the top. The initial recoil is manageable in close combat and very vertical. But after 12-13 bullets, the recoil pattern takes a strong turn, negatively affecting the controllability:

cod warzone weapon ak-47 cold war base values and recoil
The value analysis with recoil pattern by experts. Source: YouTube

Otherwise, the values are quite stable and competitive. Give the AK-47 a chance if you are not too fond of the AMAX, FFAR, or the new FARA 83.

Warzone: AK-47 setup for close combat

  • Muzzle: GRU Suppressor
  • Barrel: 18.2″ VDV Reinforced
  • Optic: Microflex LED
  • Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Grip
  • Ammunition: 45 Round Fast Mag

The setup is recommended by TheXclusiveAce. You can find his English analysis video about the AK-47 on YouTube.

Warzone: XM4 deals more damage at range, but is a bit wobbly

How strong is the XM4 in Warzone? The starter assault rifle from Cold War belongs more to the automatic all-round weapons with range and competes with the M4A1 or the Grau 5.56. Its time-to-kill (TTK) is impressive:

cod warzone weapon comparison xm4 competition
The XM4 outperforms its direct competitors in TTK. Source: truegamedata

The XM4 is slightly ahead of the M4A1 but has a bit less range. The strong TTK value makes it interesting for players who prefer to use automatic weapons at their ranged combat.

Like the AK-47 from Cold War, the XM4 also has a slight recoil problem. The first few shots are associated with a strong “kick-off.” You may have trouble getting the first shots precisely on the enemy:

cod warzone weapon xm4 base values and recoil
The value analysis with recoil pattern by experts. Source: YouTube

Therefore, the same applies to the XM4: It is worth a try and quite strong. But if you can manage with the alternatives and time-to-kill is not everything for you, then it is better to leave the XM4 on the shelf. Currently, the AUG tactical rifle and M16 as range all-rounders are so strong that less stable weapons find it hard to keep up at larger distances. The XM4 is not top-tier but can hold its own.

Warzone: XM4 setup for longer distances

  • Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
  • Barrel: 13.5″, Heavy Reinforced
  • Optic: Axial Arms 3x
  • Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip
  • Magazine: STANAG 60 Rnd

The setup is recommended by TheXclusiveAce. You can find his English analysis video about the XM4 on YouTube.

For a placement among the top weapons of Warzone, both assault rifles are not enough, but in Season 2, the AK-47 and XM4 from Cold War are definitely playable. If you are looking for alternatives to the meta weapons that provide you with stable values, then try out these firearms.

If the Warzone is indeed overrun by zombies, you could probably use all the help you can get.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The MMORPG ArcheAge brings the Gunslinger – Soon has 286 class combos

The MMORPG ArcheAge already has 220 class combos, but with a new update, another class will be added. This will increase the number to 286 possible combinations.

What kind of class is it? The Gunslinger is a ranged fighter who not only deals a lot of damage but can also apply important debuffs. He is expected to have a significant impact on battles and become an important ally.

Even in the last update, Rise of Nehliya, the Gunslinger was hinted at. In the accompanying trailer, the Gunslinger is briefly seen with a rifle:

ArcheAge gets even more class combos

How will this affect the class combos in ArcheAge? Currently, there are 220 possible combinations. For each class, also known as skillset, you can always combine three of them. With the Gunslinger, an additional 66 combos will be added through this 3-class combination. The new skillset can be mixed with all previous ones, which will surely bring some very interesting and unique classes.

Thus, ArcheAge will have 286 possible class combinations and rightfully features in the MeinMMO list of online role-playing games with a lot of classes.

When does the update come? The Gunslinger will be introduced into the MMORPG with the update Akash Invasion. This will be released on March 25, right after the current land rushes due to the server mergers are completed.

https://youtu.be/4yoRGNbeGok

What else is in the update? You will explore the new zone Ipnya Ridge, where you will encounter an ancient enemy. To defeat this foe, players from all factions must band together.

Additionally, a new story begins with The Nuon Dragon War, in which you must uncover the truth behind the sudden changes in the Karkasse Ridgelands and delve into the history of the extinct Nuon people.

A new raid and additional quests are also included.

What is special about this? If you play the Buy2Play version of ArcheAge Unchained, you will have to pay for the new content since you don’t have to deal with microtransactions here. However, those playing the Free2Play version of the MMORPG will receive the update for free. Pre-orders start this Friday, March 12.

There are several packages available. The smallest one costs $15.99 and offers the Gunslinger, a title, access to the Fresh-Start servers, and an exclusive pre-order item.

The developers are also currently working on the successor to ArcheAge. ArcheAge 2 is coming in 2022 – Based on Unreal Engine 5 with new races.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Yes, Bungie will eventually also remove the best expansion from Destiny 2

In an interview, Bungie has now confirmed that they will eventually put the expansion “Forsaken” into the content vault of Destiny and thus remove it from the game. “Forsaken” is generally considered the best expansion that Destiny 2 has ever received.

Who is speaking? Bungie has filled several positions in February 2021. The previous “bosses”, Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy, have been promoted. They are now supposed to take care of other parts of Destiny: Officially, they are said to prepare and oversee the “expansion of the Destiny universe into other media”. Perhaps this involves a movie or a series – no one knows.

The new head of Destiny 2 is officially Justin Truman, the “General Manager.” He has been with Bungie for 11 years, is actually a trained programmer, and over the years has grown more into a management role.

Bungie does not want 8 raids and 5 storylines in Destiny 2

What about Forsaken? In an interview with Eurogamer, Truman states clearly (via Eurogamer):

“Content from Forsaken will eventually go into the vault. I think: Just as we don’t want 8 raids, we also don’t want so many storylines. We don’t want a player to come into Destiny and see 5 storylines competing with each other that they could all play.

In some of the storylines, Uldren is a good guy, and in some, he is the villain, and it is unclear whether you are playing the stories in the wrong order.”

Justin Truman
Destiny 2 Luke Smith Justin Truman Fix the Timeline
Here, Justin Truman is discussing important and highly confidential matters with Luke Smith.

This is what Bungie says about the vault: The controversial feature, “Destiny Content Vault”, is seen by Truman as something positive. He says:

“As a player, I don’t want to log into Destiny and see 20 planets filling the screen, and 8 raids where I feel the obligation to grind them every week with 3 characters.”

Justin Truman

If Destiny 2 offered so much content to choose from, one could speak of a game with a 500 GB download. Truman sees that size as ideal, which Destiny 2 had at the start of Beyond Light. This size is to be maintained: When something new comes into the game, something old goes out.

Truman emphasizes the positive aspects of the “content vault”: Because from it, “old experiences” are also supposed to come back into the game, even content from Destiny 1.

Truman explains how much he loved battling “Sepiks Prime” in Destiny 2. He looks forward to when the Glassway returns in Season 14. He is certainly not the only one excited about that.

Forsaken is generally considered the highlight of Destiny 2 – it will also eventually go into the vault.

This is being discussed: The discussion about the “content vault” shows a clear gap between how Bungie presents it and how it is received by players. Bungie describes the content vault as necessary and healthy. Destiny cannot grow indefinitely; this large selection would overwhelm players.

A large part of the player base, on the other hand, sees mainly the disadvantages. They say:

  • “You are cutting content for which we have paid.”
  • Furthermore, the story makes no sense for newcomers at all.
  • Moreover, it is totally unusual to cut content – huge MMOs like WoW are much larger than Destiny 2 and there is nothing removed from the game.
Destiny-2-Locations
For Bungie a nightmare – for many players a dream. So many things to do. Source: reddit
  • For many players, the idea is wonderful to log into Destiny and have the choice between many planets – a “World of Destiny” screenshot has long been circulating, showing the planets from Destiny 1 included in the choices for Destiny 2.
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Destiny 2 cuts 2 years of content that players have paid for
von Schuhmann

Destiny 2 enters uncharted territory … reluctantly

This is what it’s about: According to the “master plan” of Activision, Destiny 2 should actually only last two years. But the plan is already very old.

But it is quite possible that in 2018 they still believed the lifespan of Destiny 2 would be about 3 years, like Destiny 1. This means: Destiny 2 actually had to end in September 2020, and players would then have moved on to Destiny 3. After separating from Activision, Bungie decided to extend Destiny 2 and at least plan for 6 years.

The underlying technology and design do not seem to be aimed at a “6 years” game but only for a “3 years” game. Therefore, Bungie must now find ways to remove “content” from the game when new content comes in.

This is generally unusual and against the spirit of an “MMO”: games are supposed to grow continuously; shrinking has never been mentioned.

Thus, Destiny 2 is entering uncharted territory and receiving a lot of criticism for this decision. Bungie has since distanced itself from “sunsetting”, a similar idea, but it seems they want to hold on to the controversial content vault.

For 10 months, Destiny 2 has firmly defended a hated idea—now quietly rowed back

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The most elaborate mount in WoW is now available for everyone for free

You can currently get the huge mount “Wandering Urtum” in World of Warcraft. It is probably the best mount available in the game so far.

In World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the Urtums have broken out. Currently, the gigantic tree mounts can be found in almost every city, with more and more players obtaining them. We will explain what this is all about and how you can also get the wandering Urtum.

Great tree is a community choice: The large Urtum exists because players decided on it about half a year ago. Blizzard had started a poll asking what kind of mount players would like to have. The team responsible for the design had some capacity free and wanted to give something back to the players. In the voting, the Wandering Urtum won by a large margin against its competitors – such as a flying book or a giant slime cat.

What are the requirements? To obtain the mount, you merely need to have a WoW account with the current expansion Shadowlands. That is the only requirement for this mount.

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Where can you find the mount? Once you have obtained the mount, it will automatically be added to your collection. You just need to open the mount menu and look for the Urtum. Initially, it will still be in a “gift box,” then you click the box once to “unwrap” the mount. Afterwards, you can use it on all characters from Retail WoW.

Help, my tree is not there! Does Blizzard hate me? No. Well, maybe, but that has nothing to do with it. The delivery of the Wandering Urtum can take a while, as it is gradually unlocked for players. If you have not received the mount yet but meet all the requirements, you just need to be patient for a few days.

The community is excited, but there is also criticism: Generally, the tone among people is positive. The overwhelming majority of players are pleased with the incredibly cool new mount and its numerous little quirks. For example, you can spot a caterpillar that looks like it’s steering the tree. The little bird Pepe also makes an appearance repeatedly.

Currently, entire trains of Urtums are parading through cities on many realms, parodying the “March of the Ents” from The Lord of the Rings:

It took less than twelve hours for it to happen. from r/wow

However, there are also a few critical voices, albeit in the minority. They feel that it’s a shame that such an impressive mount is now owned by everyone. If it were a bit more exclusive and tied to a difficult achievement, it would have been even more appealing to some players. Since the mount is now owned by “everyone,” it isn’t as special as it could be.

What do you think of the Urtum? Have you already received it and will you use it regularly from now on?

By the way, this is the perfect opportunity to go for a walk with 2 giant trees…

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

All EU servers of Rust are burning down and hardly any player finds it bad

In a fire at a server farm in France, all EU servers of the survival game Rust have burned down. Players have therefore lost all progress they had made since the last reset. However, most of them are taking it in stride – especially veterans just shrug it off a bit.

What happened? On March 10th, there was a fire in a data center in Strasbourg, France, where Rust lost the server data of all 25 EU servers. The data center belongs to the provider OVH, where different customers had their servers set up.

What exactly was lost? All server-side data is lost, as there is no backup for it. This includes:

  • Map data, meaning what loot is in which crates
  • Buildings of players that they built on the map and stored equipment
  • Inventory and equipment of players on the servers

In short: everything that players have achieved in Rust is now lost and seems irretrievable. This sounds like terrible news that no MMO player ever wants to hear. However, the Rust community isn’t really bothered by it.

rust neighbors pvp-server
Whoever built a nice base has lost it due to the fire.

Servers are literally smoking – players take it in stride

That’s why hardly anyone is bothered: Rust carries out a so-called “force wipe” from the developers each month, where all servers are reset – both official and the private servers that you can rent yourself.

This reduces server load and there is always the opportunity to restart. Especially veterans are already used to this and therefore see little problem in it happening outside of the rules. The user Yellow_Tissue on reddit writes, for example:

I’m pretty sure that the force wipe takes place once a month, but the vast majority of players play on servers with weekly resets. So it’s not really that bad and probably the reason why no one cared about a backup.

Most comments go in this direction. The last wipe took place on March 5, so not even a week of progress was lost. Also, all cosmetics should still be intact after the fire, as users on reddit explain. These are linked to the Steam inventory, not to the server data, and the inventory is unaffected.

Does the fire bother anyone? Not all players are taking the loss of data so easily. Some are even demanding compensation, like the user Teddddy on Twitter. He writes: “We better get something in return for all the people who grinded this week for their bases and now this SH*T! Hurry up and compensate the people.”

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Some users, who claim to operate servers for clients themselves, write that they could create a backup with their small business in a short time. They wonder why Rust can’t manage that.

However, there are players who argue that Rust’s size would require a much larger effort. Furthermore, it is meaningless to have a backup for a game without long-term progress that is regularly reset.

In any case, the developers are already setting up new servers for Europe, and many of these servers are already live and accessible. So you won’t have to take a long break from playing. If you’re waiting for the console version of Rust, you might also be able to start soon: the beta for Rust on PS4 and Xbox One has already begun.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. reddit